Author: This is my love language. 💛 Ooey, gooey, stretchy, melty, where have you been all my life- vegan mozzarella. I'm pretty sure I just made all my vegan dreams come true. I made this recipe four times this week, FOUR. That's how amazing this is. Just dip some tortilla chips in this bad boy and welcome to heaven.
You can also use this anywhere you would like a melty mozzarella experience, which is, um, everywhere! Let's see... pizza, lasagna, grilled cheese, dips, the possibilities of deliciousness are endless.
I haven't even gotten to some of the best news yet. This takes only 7 ingredients, one of them being water. It takes only 15 minutes to make, AND it doesn't even have any oils or "bad stuff". Can you tell I'm excited? I'm SO excited.
So what makes it stretchy and gooey. Tapioca! Who knew right? It's the main ingredient in Daiya, a well-known brand of vegan cheese, and I found that Somer McCowan from the blog Vedged Out also used tapioca starch in her Fresh Moxarella Cheese. She is one smart cookie, er.. well some smart cheese, because she knew what was up. I adapted her original recipe to make a mozzarella that suited my own taste buds but be sure to try her original recipe and check out her blog. So many delicious vegan recipes to be had!
Back to tapioca. Tapioca provides this amazing stretchy, melty quality that any good vegan cheese deserves. It is an absolute must for this recipe. Any other starch will make a thick sauce, but only tapioca will give it that stretch. If you can't find it in stores you can pick it up on Amazon here.
This recipe will stay in a melty stretchy state, even when cold, but if you are looking for a grate-able cheese, try my recipe for The Best Vegan Mozzarella.
To make melty stretchy gooey vegan mozzarella:
To make Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella: Boil the cashews for 10 minutes until softened. Then toss into the blender with the remaining ingredients, and blend until completely smooth. It will be very watery, don't worry, it will get cheesy!
Pour it in a small sauce pan, and heat over medium-high heat. Stir to keep anything from burning. You will start to see clumps forming.
Then all of a sudden, magic! Everything comes together and makes this cheesy, melty, deliciousness. Keep stirring and cooking for another minute or two, to make sure it's finished firming up. It should take about 5 minutes to cook total. That's it! Done. So easy.
If you want to save it for later, store in an air tight container in the fridge. It won't firm up like a hard cheese, it will stay pretty soft, but let's get real, who needs hard mozzarella anyways?
Serve as a dip, spread onto some toast, dollop onto pizza, do whatever your creative cooking spirit tells you. Don't worry if you eat it all in one sitting (cause I would never do that), you can always make more.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
(click stars to vote)
Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella
Servings: (makes about 1 cup)
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Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews,, softened (see step 1)
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons tapioca starch, (also called tapioca flour)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Softening the cashews:
- Softening the cashews first helps them blend. If you have a high-powered blender you may be able to skip this step, but if not, this step is important to get a smooth cheese. You can either boil or soak the cashews. To boil the cashews (the fast method): add the cashews to a small pot, cover with water, and boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. To soak the cashews: add the cashews to a bowl, and cover with water. Let soak for 4 hours or overnight until tender. Drain and rinse cashews before using.
To make the vegan mozzarella:
- Add the cashews along with the 1 cup of water and all the remaining ingredients to a blender. Blend until completely smooth. It will be very watery.
- Pour into a small saucepan and put over medium-high heat. Continually stir. The cheese will start forming clumps, keep stirring and it will continue clumping until the mixture turns from watery to a thicker melty cheese sauce. This takes about 5 minutes. Serve hot or allow to cool and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. The cheese will get thicker as it cools but will stay in a melty state.
Notes
- Tapioca starch is essential for this recipe. It's what gives the cheese it’s gooey and stretchy texture. Any other starch or flour will not get the same result.
- If you want to return the cold mozzarella back to dipping consistency, reheat over medium heat while stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Once it is hot and bubbling it might have thickened up too much. You can thin it out by adding a splash of water at a time, stirring it in until desired consistency is reached.
- To ensure a smooth cheese, you may also want to pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth before cooking to remove any cashew bits that didn't grind up. This will ensure a smooth cheese texture.
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕
Emilie @ Emilie Eats says
Hey Sam! I've made this before and LOVED it, but tonight I'm making enchiladas and wondering if this cheeze could be baked? Thanks!
Sam says
Hi Emilie,
Absolutely! It will brown up on the top so just be sure to keep an eye on it. If you are baking the enchiladas for a long time, maybe bake it most of the way first, and pour the cheese over for the last 5-10 minutes so that it doesn't burn before the dish is done. Hope that helps!
Wanda J says
This recipe looks like it would be good for spinach artichoke dip! I might just have to try it!
Sam says
It totally is! Here is my Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe 🙂
Ellie says
WOW so many comments on this!
Well done Sam 🙂
I will be making this for the first time tonight and just wanted to add my 2 cents... can't read all the comments (too many!!) so this may already be suggested....
To put this on a pizza I would fill a baggy with the warm cheese, cut a wee hole out of a corner, and, rather like icing, squiggle it all over the pizza ready to go in the oven - have done a similar thing with corn starch vegan cheese years ago and it goes everywhere you want it (which you know is everywhere 😉 and it browned nicely, looks like grated moo cow cheese. Bet dairy eaters wouldn't know it wasn't!!
Sam says
Haha, thank you Ellie! I don't think anyone has suggested the bag method, that's a great idea! Thank you for sharing, I will have to try this myself. I hope you enjoy the recipe 😀
Lea says
Thank you so much ! I had a blast ! As a raw vegan, eating cheese can be very expensive. Best recipe ever 🙂
Sam says
Awww shucks! Thats awesome 🙂
Ayal says
Wow that looks insanely good. Never thought about tapioca for cheese, very psyched to try this!
Sam says
Thank you so much!! Yeah tapioca is pretty amazing stuff! I just posted my new recipe for Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese as well 😉
Tom says
My vegan daughter and her husband and I made your cheese tonight and it was amazing! We did a couple of pizzas on chickpea crusts and your recipe provided more than enough "cheese" for the pizzas. You're right, much easier just to blob it on in certain places rather than spread it everywhere. We were pleasantly surprised that a quarter cup of cashews and a little tapioca starch produced so much for it. Thank-you!!!
Sam says
Yay!! So happy you and your family loved the recipe so much Tom 😀
CZ says
Hi Sam, my cheese didn't get super gooey. I'm sure I made a mistake somewhere but wondering now that it's made, can I add more tapioca starch now and would that thicken/goo it up a bit more? Would I just add it straight to the cheese or dissolve in water first?
Thanks
Sam says
Hi CZ
To be honest, I'm not sure. I have never tried to add it in afterwards. I don't see why it wouldn't work however. Just try whisking in the tapioca and then cooking while stirring. Let us know if you are able to rescue it!
Amanda says
OMG! This is the best recipe ever. I love it so much. Just made it for the first time and ate it on crisp bread. Can't wait to make a pizza with it! Thank you! 🙂
Sam says
Thank you so much Amanda!! I'm so happy you love the recipe so much 😀
Amanda says
I can't get over how great the texture of this is. I used the spices I usually use for "cheddar" with this recipe today and put it on baked potato with beans. So, so yummy!
Sam says
So happy you love it so much Amanda! What cheddar flavours did you use?? I am curious because I am working on my own cheddar version!
Amanda says
I have this great recipe book called 20 minutes to dinner by Bryanna Clark Gorgan. It is simply amazing and most of the recipes are really low fat (80/10/10).
The spices for the cheddar are:
1/3 of a cup of nutritional yeast
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1 tablespoon of miso paste (says light miso in the book but I only had dark)
I think I might try with the vinegar instead of the lemon juice next time.
Sam says
Amazing!! Thanks Amanda! I am going to try playing around with some of those flavours and see what I can come up with 🙂
Amanda says
Good luck. I'm sure it will turn out great. I made moussaka in the slow cooker today with the mozzarella style recipe on top, can't wait to try it!
Sam says
Thank you! Ooooo that sounds great!! I want to eat it.
Liz says
Thanks, Sam!
Liz says
This was nothing short of amazing! My carnivorous husband and daughter loved it and i am so happy to have found a comfort food I won't feel terrible about eating!
I have family coming for the weekend and would like to use as a hot dip. Can you think of a good emulsifier to keep it thinned out if it is kept warm?
Again-thank you so much for sharing this!
Sam says
Thank you so very much Liz! So happy you and your family enjoyed the recipe so much. 🙂
I think it should stay pretty ooey gooey if you keep it warm, but you could try adding a bit more water or even oil to keep it thinner if you like. Hope that helps!
christophe says
Hi Sam,
This looks fantastic.
What could I use to substitute tapioca? I searched it where I live and they dont have it anywhere.
Sam says
Hi Christophe,
Thank you! Unfortunately, tapioca is crucial to this recipe. Other starches just don't provide the same stretchy texture. I don't know where you live, but you can try ordering it online. Amazon sells it here.
christophe says
I live in Luxembourg, and unfortunately only amazon.de ships food items to Luxembourg. (.com and .co.uk dont send out food or even powders anymore)
btw you linked me to nutritional yiest.
maybe my local asian store sells Tapioca flour. Can I buy tapioca in thicket beans and grind it myself? I have a vitamix so it should work right?
like this: http://www.amazon.de/TRS-Sago-Tapioka-Perlen-500g/dp/B003XIJYJ4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1437492129&sr=8-3&keywords=tapioca
Sam says
Hi Christophe,
Yes, sorry about that, I fixed the link shortly after.
Yes you can absolutely buy tapioca pearls and grind them yourself! It's the exact same thing. Another reader said she did this and it worked perfectly for her. 😀
christophe says
Hi,
I found the Tapioca starch, I will try the recipe soon.
I might just go with one cup of cashews, 1/4 cup doesnt seem like much :).
I also bought "american cups" so now its easier to follow recipes.
Sam says
Great! If you go with 1 cup of cashews, remember to multiply all of the other ingredients by 4 as well. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
christophe says
Quick question, your tablespoons and teaspoons, are they heaped? or just flat kinda.
Sam says
Hi Christophe!
I always heap the spoon and then use my finger or a knife to wipe off the excess making it flat. This way my measurements are always consistent. Here is a pic to show what I mean. I hope that helps!
christophe says
Ok Thanks.
And you use normal tbl spoons? I recently bought these american cups (no one in europe uses them) so I wanna make sure I dont need different special spoons for this recipe.
Sam says
I had to look that one up! I had no idea, but according to this tool, no they aren't the same.
christophe says
Thanks I tried the recipe and it was great!!
I will try to experiment with this recipe to make it more tangy like cheese.
So far I only used it on bread and pizza and both is great.
Have you tried different experiments for this one? Do you have a tip for how to easily put it on pizza? this part was a pain 🙂
Sam says
Yay! You could try increasing the vinegar for a more tangy flavour. For the pizza, I found it easiest to put little blobs of the cheese on the pizza. (Instead of evenly trying to spread it out). Lightly greasing the spoon before you do this can help too. So happy you loved the recipe! 😀
christophe says
Hi Sam,
I made it again for the fourth time ( I always make this based on one cup of nuts, so enough for a week)
and I used vinegar instead of lemon, and I loved it a lot more!! it actually tasted like cheese!
I also added olive oil to the final base to make it more fatty for cheese replacement. I will experiment more with this. So far I use it on pizza, fajitas (instead of sour cream and cheese) avocado sandwiches and spagetti "cheese"
Sam says
I agree!! I love the vinegar more than the lemon too. I am so happy you love the recipe so much and are able to use it in so many ways 🙂
Eibhlin says
this is fantabulous! SO easy to make and so stretchy and gooey... i used it as a topping on cremini-bell pepper-smoked tofu rolls - I sent a picture to my friend and she said she was going straight out for tapioca flour the next day 😉
Sam says
awww yay!!!! So happy you loved the recipe so much and that you are spreading the delicious vegan word! Those tofu rolls sound amazing!! 😀
Michela says
OHMYGOD! This is just fantabulous! Just prepared and I had to control myself if I wouldn't just finish it spoon after spoon!!! I've added in my preferite recipes!
Thanks!
Michela
Sam says
Haha! That's awesome Michela! So happy you love the recipe so much 😀
Leah says
I was having trouble getting the cheese to come out smoothly because I do not have a high powered blender. I finally ground the raw cashews in my spice grinder until the nuts become a fine meal. Then, I added the 1 cup boiling water and let the nut meal soak. After an hour or so, I proceed to add the nuts, water, and all other ingredients to my standard blender, and I get a nice, smooth product.
I would like to continue tweaking this recipe, but so far, it is the best one I have found. Thanks to you and Somer for saving pizza, nachos, etc. for me.
Another alteration I plan soon: adding some white wine and cherry kirsch to make fondu. I think this recipe will be a perfect base for that!
Sam says
Great idea Leah! Sounds delicious. If your blender isn't as high powered, I also fine just using a fine mesh strainer and straining the liquid into the pot works well too. This just takes out any bits of cashews that didn't get ground up. Hope that helps 😀
Sandi says
This looks delicious! I'm allergic to cashews though,, is there anything else I can switch that out with? I've made cheesy dishes with roasted eggplant before, might that work here?
Sam says
You can try using macadamia nuts. I believe they have a similar texture. I think eggplant is a big jump from cashews, so I'm afraid, I have no idea how it would turn out. If you do give it a try, let us know how it turns out for you. 😀
Sierra says
This recipe is phenomenal! Thank you so much for sharing. The fact that I only need 7 ingredients and it takes so little time is great, as I can get it together while I prepare the rest of my meal as well. I'm already thinking about meals I can make now that I have a nice, melted, gooey cheese to go with it... pizza, cheesesteak, grilled cheese. The possibilities are endless!
Sam says
I'm so happy you love the recipe so much Sierra!! You're right, the possibilities are endless! Let us know if you come up with any really good uses 😀
tulipity says
Hi Sam!
Your recipe is over marvelous to me ~ however around my place, nutritional yeast is really hard to find, and also difficult for me to afford it online for some reason, too :(( Can you please suggest any healthy substitute? I really really craving to get that nutty cheesy creamy flavor T.T
Sam says
Hi tulipity!
So happy you love the recipe. You can buy nutritional yeast on Amazon for a pretty good deal. Here is a 1 pound bag for cheap, which will last you a very long time! Other than that I would suggest a pinch of a vegetable bullion cube will help with a flavour boost. Hope that helps!
Bethany says
Hi Sam, I made this mozzarella for my first attempt at vegan margherita pizza on Saturday. IT. WAS. GORGEOUS! I literally can't wait to make it again. As others have suggested above I also think it will be amazing as a fondue (which is also a good excuse to buy white wine!). Anyway I have mentioned it on my blog at http://freedombirdie.com/2015/05/25/vegan-margherita-pizza/ Thank you again for this recipe!
kristin says
Thank you...thank you...thank you for posting this!!!! Since having to do dairy free i've been craving fondue and this hits the spot without the compromise. It's way more healthy than tons of butter and cream in regular types of gooey cheese. Finally, I can feel like I don't have to settle for the closest thing to cheese. This is amazing!
Sam says
You are so super welcome Kristin! I couldn't be happier that you are so please! 😀
Jessica says
Hi Sam, I have made this recipe several times and used it in a variety of hot dips in place the cheese. The consistency is spot on! It was to me a little on the bland side which consequently worked very well in that you can really adapt the flavor to your liking. And lets face it mozzarella made from dairy isn't all that tasty on its own either. I'm curious to see a recipe making a traditional simple pizza using this recipe for the cheese. I'm still struggling to find a good sub for my girls and I have tried many vegan cheeses out there and they either don't like the taste or texture. I will hopefully look forward to seeing your creatives ideas for this in the future!
Sam says
Hi Jessica,
Welcome! I agree it doesn't have a ton of flavour punch, but from my memory either does mozzarella! I am so happy you have had fun flavouring it up. This will definitely work for pizza, I will keep that in mind and make a pizza post in the future.
Cheers!
Sam
CC says
Love this idea for pizza. It might not harden in the fridge, but maybe you could freeze it and then grate it like cheese when it's frozen and sprinkle it over pizza. Have you tried freezing (Or has it ever lasted long enough for you to get around to freezing (: )? Does it ruin the consistency?
Sam says
Welcome CC!
Freezing it! I never thought of that, it never lasts that long! Haha. I will definitely try this at some point, but if you try it before me, let me know how it turns out 🙂